Five tips to help your children make New Year’s resolutions
For many of us, New Year means it’s time to reflect on the last 12 months and resolve to do better in certain areas. Whether it’s exercise, diet or getting up earlier, there are lots of ways everyone can benefit from making resolutions.
New Year is also a great opportunity to teach children how to set goals and learn about self-discipline. You can help them learn new skills and deal with the outcome if they fall short of their goal. Lots of children find it a fun way to start the year, so create a resolution together so you can provide guidance and support along the way.
Here, the in-home and online tutoring company Tutor Doctor provides five tips on how you can help your children make their New Year’s resolutions for 2024.
1. Make it a family activity
Involve the whole family in setting resolutions. This not only makes it fun but also provides a support system for everyone. Have each family member share their goals and discuss how you can support each other in achieving them. You could even make it a family tradition and get everyone to sit down together.
2. Keep it simple and achievable
It’s important for children to only choose one or two New Year’s resolutions at a time. If your child starts making a super-long list, it will only make them feel overwhelmed and hesitant to start working on anything. Keep the list small and achievable so your children can succeed!
Encourage them to think about what they can realistically accomplish within a year and help them break down larger goals into smaller, manageable steps.
3. Focus on the positives
Instead of framing resolutions as correcting flaws, encourage children to keep resolution setting positive. For example, ”I didn’t do very well at science” or “I could have studied harder” should be avoided. Instead, try to encourage your kids to focus on goal setting and positive outcomes. Replace “I could have studied harder” with “I am going to study once a day for at least an hour and get more involved in class discussion.” This way, children will be more excited about their resolutions and will be more likely to stick to them.
4. Create visual reminders
Help your children create visual representations of their resolutions. After all, out of sight usually means out of mind. This could be a chart, a series of drawings, or a vision board. Visual reminders can help keep them motivated and focused on their resolutions. Just choose the way that works best for them.
5. Regular check-ins and adjustments
Set up regular intervals, maybe once a month, to check in on progress. Celebrate successes, no matter how small, and if a goal seems too difficult, help your child adjust it to be more attainable. This teaches flexibility and resilience.
Becky Ward, the Education Experience Specialist at Tutor Doctor, summarises: “Remember, the key to helping children with New Year's resolutions is to ensure they feel supported and to make the process enjoyable. This will help them develop a positive attitude towards setting and achieving personal goals. Resolutions should be your child’s own personal commitment – if they don’t feel as though they’re the ones setting the goal, chances are they won’t feel a strong desire to stick to it. We recommend providing some gentle guidance and encourage them to identify the areas they want to work on on their own.”